The black letters contrast sharply with the graduation cap’s red fabric. They spell: “Vuela tan alto como puedas sin olvidar de donde vienes.”

Democrats hoping to take control of the U.S. Senate in November believe one of their best chances to pick up a seat this year lies in battleground Nevada, where Sen. Dean Heller is the only Republican running for re-election in a state that Democrat Hillary Clinton carried in 2016.

In the midst of the official pomp and circumstance, more and more graduates are adding a personal touch: They’ll decorate their graduation caps, also known as mortarboards.

Graduation caps decorated to celebrate accomplishment but also promote political messages.

UNLV professor and folklorist Sheila Bock studies trends behind graduation caps.

In a sea of graduation caps, how do you stand out? Increasingly, students are decorating their caps to showcase some part of their life.

Isabella Rooks, who will graduate Saturday with a degree in theater arts, is among the growing number of college students who bedazzle their mortarboards with gems, lace and glitter to add funny, serious, political or playful messages to the ceremonial accessory.

UNLV professor and folklorist Sheila Bock began studying trends behind graduation caps after she first arrived in Las Vegas in 2011. She began formally researching in 2015, taking photos from around the country and interviewing students on their graduation cap design choices.

Students at the three state universities and dozens of community colleges are graduating in ceremonies now and in coming weeks. Graduation caps let these students subvert traditional, and formal, commencement rituals.

In a sea of graduation caps, how do you stand out? Increasingly, students are decorating their caps to showcase some part of their life.

Las Vegas is in the middle of a rebranding.

Higher education has been transformed in countless ways over the past few centuries, but one thing remains largely unchanged: the mortar boards worn on graduation day.